The Way Things Are
by Ditter
Summary: Zero and Yuuki meet as children when he rescues her from a rogue vampire. Now that they're living together, what will become of them? ZeroXYuuki
1. A Chance Encounter

This is an AU story about Zero and Yuuki with my own original plot that starts from the beginning with their meeting and will hopefully span a decent number of chapters. I will enter the night class and some other characters in later chapters (like chapter 2). Please enjoy chapter one and leave a review to tell me whether you like it or not. Many thanks to Death2Smooky for being my beta.

* * *

A boy too young to be considered a teen and too old to be considered a mere child glanced up from the table he was currently serving to sneak a look at the crowd of people near the entrance. The little restaurant in which he had been working had been packed to the brim for the last five days; so much that half of the town must have visited his place of work. That, however, was not the strangest part for, although such an abundance of people had come, the settlement was still too small to be plotted on all but the most specific of maps.

No, the reason for the commotion was the small-framed girl sitting at the eatery's most prized possession, possibly the only grand piano in the entire area. Her fingers had been working away at producing a sound so captivating that it drew people in, leaving them to stand mesmerized while listening. Her chocolaty brown eyes were staring intently at the sheet of music in front of her while her digits worked furiously to keep up with the notes she was reading. The melody was one of contentedness this time, although she frequently switched styles and artists while taking a break every once in a while to swipe her shoulder length brown hair out of her eyes.

The boy, Zero, couldn't help but be more aloof and less conscientious ever since she came around. Although nobody knew what the reason was behind her sudden appearance, all welcomed her for the pure homey feeling she brought with her. Zero judged her to be about his own height and age based off of the few times he had seen her stand up away from the piano to either come in or leave the place.

Zero, belatedly realizing that he was still hovering about the table he was supposed to serve, quickly stood up. Running a hand through his disheveled silver hair he cast a fleeting look over the room with his violet eyes to find the next table he would be servicing.

As always, he finished up the night without incident and prepared his light jacket, which he chose to wear over his gray and black work uniform, to go out into the cool evening. The puzzling girl had left about ten minutes before. Her departure was becoming the sign to close up. It was perfect; she left just before closing time with the customers more or less following. The customers were beginning to train themselves by coming at the hours they knew she would be playing; therefore the restaurant would have a surplus of customers during the latter half of the day and a slight deficit during the earlier half.

Zero hadn't but a twenty minute walk to his dwelling owed to the fortunate occurrence a little while back of meeting the little, cheerful man who ran the restaurant he worked at. Zero had been looking for a place to work and live on his own due to the dreadful slaughtering of his family, which had been news around town for the last two months. The store owner had taken an immediate liking to Zero and his careful, business-like manner, offering not only a job suitable for his age of twelve, but also residency in the same apartment complex that his wife ran.

It was now that Zero realized he had been spacing out again and noticed, much to his own surprise, that he had already arrived at the planned destination. He took a set of keys out of his jacket pocket and opened the door so that he might step inside to change out of his work uniform. After throwing his uniform shirt down in the corner of the room, his pants following abruptly after, he quickly and sloppily dressed in a light blue sweatshirt as well as some comfortable matching sweatpants. After surveying his room he promptly came to the decision to get out of the stifling, ill-organized space to get some fresh air.

Walking in the direction that had become most familiar to him recently, his feet automatically carried Zero to the park which contained what he liked to call his 'quiet place'. The park was conveniently placed on the way to the supermarket the young boy often visited and the place suited Zero perfectly. He'd found every nook and cranny on the first visit and on every subsequent trip he had lazed around in the shadows beneath the trees or opted to stretch out in the sun behind numerous benches where visitors were unlikely to come across him.

Today's visit, however, was not to be as peaceful as Zero previously had hoped. Upon arrival there were clear indications of a struggle taking place. Before rounding the corner to a location in which the rest of the park was visible, for at the moment Zero was located behind a large willow, his excellent ears picked up a general scuffle and what sounded like someone being restrained.

A howl of pain sounded from an unknown source and there came a string of curses followed by a gruff voice panting out what it thought of the situation. "Dammit girl, ya ain't gonna be using those sharp teeth of yours no more if I knock em' outta your head!"

At this point in the fray Zero decided that revealing himself would be in the best interest of whoever the 'damn girl' was. He was generally a very quiet person who preferred to keep to himself, however in a situation where someone was in need of assistance right in front of him, there was no space in Zero's conscience to abandon the situation.

Picking a tree within a reachable distance, Zero snapped off a nice, thick branch and prepared to wield it against whatever danger may threaten in the more open space of the park. All at once Zero jumped out, swinging the stick defensively in case the enemy might have been closer than he had gauged from the voices. Zero stood frozen for a few long seconds in wake of the scene playing out in front of his eyes. A rather tall being, probably about 6' 5" or 6' 6", was bent over for the purpose of placing long, ferocious, teeth at a young girl's neck. The vampire, Zero had come to realize, had the girl's head pulled back to the point that it had become a breathing hazard to her.

The most unforeseen part, however, must have been the identity of the girl Zero could have just as easily chosen not to save. It was the very same girl from the restaurant. Granted, she was now covered in sweat and her eyes were as frightened as any in such a situation, nevertheless, it took nothing away from her. Her rather pale hands were gripping tightly at one of the vampire's grimy, coal black sleeves pulling it back to show what could be deduced as a bite mark out of which flowed crimson. The man holding the young girl was clearly seeking blood. His eyes glowed scarlet with the anticipation of sinking some oversized teeth into the squirming, lively prey that was so close to being his next meal. Zero noticed that the man's hair showed itself to be grey, what was left of it anyway. It had obvious, extremely ugly, bald spots that must have come on early because of overwhelming stress. He had an unsightly, almost pig-like nose and several scars running down the length of his right cheek.

Overall, it was a scene that most would only witness in hideous nightmares and wild movies. If one were to be too squeamish in such a situation, that person could easily faint from the sheer amount of saliva dripping from almost serpentine fangs.

The vampire turned his blazing eyes on Zero and smiled in a way one could only describe as deadly. "What do we have 'ere now? A boy who thinks he's a knight? Or maybe a young hopeful for this here girl's love? Now I'll fix this problem 'ere yes I will." Zero was further appalled by the whole situation as the man threw the poor, stunned girl hard against a tree clearly intending to concentrate on the new disruption the boy presented. The girl squeaked in indignation but slumped soon after, most likely due to exhaustion and fear. Zero immediately remembered the stick now held loosely in his hands and resolved it was high time to make use of it. As the grotesque man jumped in Zero's direction the stick flew forward successfully knocking him back a few steps with a blow to the chest.

That same smile appeared along with the words, "Now we can't have that now can we? What a flimsy twig ya have there to fend off a creature like me." Stepping forward again, the branch also launching in time, the man grabbed it this time, snapping it in half with a petrifying crunch.

Asking himself what damage could possibly be done with a sturdy half-branch, Zero was not given time to think as a withered old hand with impossibly long, sharp nails came directly at his upper arm. Thankfully Zero had managed to avoid most of the attack, however a decent trickle of blood began to ooze down his arm, further adding to the ferocity of the vampire. The mad thing lunged at him a final time, fangs bared menacingly. This time Zero waited until the last possible moment to fling forth the primitive weapon. The creature wailed as the stick struck his right eye, effectively blinding him for the moment in a painful mix of blood, eye fluids, and other foul ingredients splaying from that side of the face.

The brute backed off looking bewildered for a second. It took but a moment to gather his bearings and realize the extent of the damage done. Upon comprehending this, the vampire shook his fist several times while cursing a long string of unintelligible words and dashing off in the direction of the nearest exit to the park. Zero was content to call it a day and made up his mind not to pursue the vampire when he remembered the previously discarded girl still sprawled along the base of a large oak.

Rushing over, Zero was at a loss about what to do when he found the girl unconscious with a good sized bump adorning the back of her head. Not only was there no practical way for him to transport the girl, but Zero was not at all experienced when it came to the art of healing or dealing with medicine. Deciding that draping her over his back was the best option, Zero started walking at a painfully slow pace back to the apartment building.

The girl stirred once or twice throughout the duration of the trip, but Zero was almost certain that she had not opened her eyes and she would most likely be in a bit of shock. Sighing, Zero struggled with the door knob while attempting to balance the girl precariously in a different position. He finally got the door open and carried the girl inside.

He set her on the only bed in the room, usually occupied by Zero, and sat down in a ragged, but comfortable, armchair with the intention of looking her over for major injury. Finding none, Zero went on to scrutinize her appearance. Her hair splayed out around her in an array of several slightly different shades of brown. She wasn't currently breathing out of her almost delicate looking nose, but was instead taking in air through her slightly parted mouth. The girl looked just now to be hitting puberty because slight curves of her body were starting to form. She was about average height and looked to be rather healthy besides her current condition.

Finding himself satisfied at his thorough examination of the girl, Zero made his way to the bathroom to sloppily bandage his own minor wound. Finding all business taken care of to a satisfactory degree, he determined that the best course of action would be to wait for the girl to wake up. Flipping on the small television set the room had to offer, Zero drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

A small sneeze drew Zero from his slumber, and the boy looked around in alarm. When his eyes spotted the girl he had saved earlier, the events of the day came back to him and he relaxed somewhat. The girl was sitting up on the bed now; covers draped around her, and was studying the room with a half-surprised, half-nervous look. Her eyes, Zero had noticed, mirrored her exact emotions.

The girl finally finished surveying the room when she turned towards Zero who currently had every ounce of attention aimed at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but then seemed to think better of it and closed her mouth, shaking her head in the process. When the girl had finally decided on what to say, she asked, "And who might you be?"

"I'm Zero." He answered plainly and bluntly like he did most of the time. Zero was not a fan of drawn out conversation and never had that many people to talk to anyway.

The girl then looked somewhat irritated. Apparently she had expected a longer explanation as well when she had inquired about his name. "What happened to me and why am I here?" She demanded, not quite unfriendly, folding her arms and her face showed a small frown.

Zero also didn't tend to comply well with the wishes of others. Instead of answering her query properly, he countered with his own. "What is your name?" Generally Zero was more polite but he justified his temporary rudeness by convincing himself that she was in no position to be asking questions after he had just braved a vampire to save her.

The girl snorted in annoyance. "My name's Yuuki if you must know."

Both stared at each other in awkward silence for a few minutes while each was thinking of what to say or do next. "Well," Zero started, seeing that they were getting nowhere, "you must be hungry. You've been out for…" a quick check of the clock here, "about four hours." He then got up to go into the kitchen with the sole purpose of heating up some spaghetti all the while hoping that she would be more compliant after a good meal.

Halfway through the meal Yuuki became much friendlier and attempted to make small talk with Zero, eventually finding out his name for herself and his current situation of no family. "I don't know how you do it." She sighed. "I've only been on my own for a couple of days and I've been attacked already."

"Why are you alone?" Zero asked with his interest now piqued.

"I really don't know. I just woke up one morning on the ground and can't remember anything that happened before."

Zero regarded her with a look of puzzled interest. It's not like there would be any parent that wouldn't want her. He had originally judged her to be the daughter of some rich visitor, being able to afford extra lessons for the piano. Now there was nowhere for her, and such a shame it would be for her to be attacked again… Zero sighed; he already knew where his thoughts were taking him.

With a final shake of his head he looked up again at Yuuki and offered what he could. "You can stay here if you want. I mean, until you find your family." And that was that. Yuuki accepted the offer with the promise that she would help out in anyway she could. Seeing that Zero didn't quite look happy about his own offer, indeed maybe a tad bit unhappy, she determined to stay out of his way for the most part.

But secretly, Zero was glad for the company.


	2. A Run In With The Night Gang

I'm so sorry it took so long to update this chapter! Just with homework and everything… oh the excuses! I may have to type up a bonus chapter this week for your patience! Thank you to all my readers and definitely my reviewers, please review again! By the way, I forgot a disclaimer last chapter; in case anyone was wondering I do not own vampire knight lol. Please enjoy!

* * *

Yuuki yawed, her mouth wide open while she stretched her arms above her head in a practiced fashion. She really did not enjoy the mornings, but of course she wanted to wake up before Zero just once so she wouldn't have to see him looking smug. His smug look always got the same response from Yuuki; she would fold her arms and glare as intensely as she could. Only, this just further amused Zero because he always said she looked like a fish that had been done wrong with her cheeks all puffed out like that.

Then she smelled something that made all her hopes of waking up first come crashing down. Breakfast. It had been the smell of defeat for the past four years, for whenever Zero would wake up first he would make them both whatever breakfast item they had in the refrigerator at the time. Not that she really minded having breakfast made for her every morning. Now that she thought about it, if she woke up first she would be obliged to make a meal while she was still half zombified from having just woken up.

Standing up, Yuuki walked from the bedroom into the kitchen, all the while trying not to stumble from drowsiness. She and Zero shared a bedroom due to the size of the apartment they could afford to keep from the income of both their jobs. It consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen combined with a dining room, and a small family room. It wasn't the most comfortable of conditions but it was cozy, especially compared to some of the other dwellings in the area.

Zero noticed her when she sat down at the dining table and she proceeded to sniff the air to figure out what was being cooked. Zero saved her the trouble. "Waffles." he told her, holding the pan at an angle that she could see the contents from. Yuuki nodded her appreciation and slid back into her chair. She concluded that this Saturday was going to be a particularly peaceful one if she could help it. No work for the day. She and Zero didn't formally go to school even though they wanted to because they both had to earn a decent income. Even without school, though, they often bought books to study and spent a significant amount of their free time flipping through these and reading them.

On the weekdays Zero was a waiter at the same place he had worked since he was twelve. The only difference between his now sixteen year old self and his younger self was that he and Yuuki had started out the same height when she moved in, and Zero had gradually grown to be a full eleven inches taller than her. Yuuki had also found employment in his workplace officially when she had been eleven and moved in with Zero. She played the piano there and was the café's strongest attraction to the customers.

Even though Zero could get on her nerves sometimes and they frequently bickered over whose turn it was to do the cleaning, Yuuki still very much appreciated the company and companionship that he provided. She honestly could not have imagined trying to make her own life in this town without him there to help her. He was almost like a brother, although she did not exactly know how a brother should be. She either didn't have a brother or still couldn't remember him.

Zero interrupted her thought process by plopping down a plate of waffles complete with slices of strawberry and banana adorning the top and a little whipped cream to compliment the taste. Zero knew she had a sweet tooth. Zero on the other hand had opted for just blueberry's on his, reflecting his opposite preference of less sweet things.

They proceeded to eat breakfast with only a bit of bickering. After successfully finishing their meal and washing the dishes together, Yuuki brought up the idea of going to town and doing a bit of shopping for necessities. It would allow them both a chance for fresh air and a little exercise, especially since it was mid-July and the weather was nice.

Slipping on their shoes, they walked to the right of the street and took the fifteen minute walk to the miniature shopping plaza not too terribly far away. Yuuki had been going on about who could hold their breath the longest when they arrived at the destination. "Hey Zero, bet I can hold my breath the longest without turning blue." Yuuki stood with her hands on her hips, emanating challenge.

Zero smirked, he wasn't about to take the bait, that would make it much too easy for Yuuki. "I bet you can too."

Yuuki pouted. That boy sure could get under her skin unlike any other. Not being one to give up, she tried again. "I'll bet I can win in a staring contest." Zero wouldn't pass this one up; he always won against her in contests like this one.

He raised his eyebrow. "I'll bet you can't drag me into another pointless contest." Zero inwardly laughed at her expression. He had purposely used her own words against her. He could retort to anything she said almost flawlessly while keeping up any expression he pleased. Yuuki had told him on several occasions that it was a talent.

They were now in a back alley leading to the supermarket, but something was bothering Yuuki. There had been barely any people on their journey here, and if that alone was not enough, the hairs on the back of Yuuki's neck were beginning to stand up. It was a little too eerie, too intensely silent. Yuuki glanced silently at Zero, he was looking rather uneasy as well. Without a sound they continued down the alley. With every step their surroundings got a bit foggier.

When Zero suddenly stopped in front of her, Yuuki didn't have time to stop properly. Even though she ran straight into Zero's back, he didn't seem to notice; instead he seemed to be entranced by whatever was in front of him. As Yuuki gathered herself, she peered around Zero's broad back. What she saw brought back some unpleasant memories.

There was a woman, a young adult, being held by the neck with razor sharp nails digging into her flesh. Her eyes were wide and frightened, almost hopeless as the perpetrator looked eager for another victim. The vampire was an older woman, but with a certain beauty about her. A beauty meant to lure in helpless prey. It seemed that she hadn't noticed them yet in the fervor of the moment.

Zero searched the ground for some kind of weapon, anything he could possibly use in a skirmish with a vampire. The only thing he could manage to find was an abandoned beer bottle in one of the corners. As he picked it up he glanced at Yuuki. She looked scared, torn between the primitive instinct to run from humans natural enemy and her own desire to help the victimized.

Zero realized a minute later that they hadn't needed to worry, for a new group of people were now arriving on the scene. They were dressed in white uniforms and carried themselves with dignity. The only thing that gave them away as not being normal was that they were all extraordinarily good looking. There were three girls among them and about five boys. A boy with longer hair and a dignified air could not be mistaken for anyone but the leader.

They advanced on the offending vampire with a sort of swift silence and boxed her in. What happened next surprised Zero; they used strange powers to stun the vampire. She yelped in surprise as she was struck with ice and collapsed in a heap. The victim was already unconscious and was hastily gathered by one of the women in the party.

The leader glanced in the direction of Zero and Yuuki. He did not look at all surprised to see them both standing there bewildered at what had just occurred. He walked over abruptly and ushered Yuuki out from behind Zero. His speech was refined and superior to the way people talked in this area.

"Hello, my friends. You two must be frightened. That was a rather daunting scene you just witnessed. My name is Kaname Kuran." When the two had nodded and given their names he continued. "You two have heard about vampires, have you not?" Again they nodded their heads. "Well, I am the leader of the Night Gang; we protect people from monstrosities like that. Shall we speak of this somewhere else?"

When the initial introduction was over, Kaname ended up being invited back to the apartment by Yuuki with a quite unhappy Zero being forced to agree. The rest of the group stayed behind to clean up the scene. Kaname was invited into the living room for tea and sat down with an apology on being inconvenient. "I'm terribly sorry to impose on your hospitality like this, but there are some things that I need to explain and ask of you. I am a vampire, you see, but I only hunt vampires that have sunken to an insane level."

Yuuki was alarmed when Zero suddenly stiffened beside her. She had just remembered that Zero's family had been attacked and killed by vampires. Not only that, but Zero had also been a trained vampire hunter himself, these were among some of the things she had learned about him since she had moved in.

Kaname must have also noticed the rigidity of Zero's form; he hurriedly explained his group's policy. "We never drink from humans. We have invented a tablet that can be taken dissolved in water that takes the place of real blood. We take great care not to be tempted." He then hesitated. "I must ask both of you not to tell anybody of the events that took place today, or I shall have to erase your memories of everything concerning vampires and the Night Gang." Once he had gotten their word not to tell a soul, in which Zero was quite reluctant, he looked more relieved. "Good, then I won't impose any longer." He gave them both a meaningful look with his dark brown eyes, smiled fleetingly, and left without another word.

Zero and Yuuki shared a look of bewilderment and disbelief; this was not turning out to be the peaceful day Yuuki had been hoping it would be. Zero was none too joyful at having come across yet another vampire attack, he really needed some sort of weapon to have in case it happened again. Yuuki broke Zero out of his thoughts. "Zero, I'm going to go take a shower, alright?" Zero gave a nod of acknowledgment.

When Yuuki walked past him Zero suddenly shivered. It was unexpectedly hard for him to breathe. Yuuki looked at him in concern. "Zero, are you alright?" When she reached out a hand to hold his shoulder, he understood. Yuuki had a slight cut on her index finger. Zero composed himself with difficulty and answered as best he could. "Yeah, I'm fine."

But Zero berated himself for lack of control. He knew it wouldn't be long now.


	3. A Conflict Is Brewing

Yay! Chapter 3 is finally out! Thank you so much for all the reviews and favoriting and alerting. Oh, and last chapter the question was raised of the night gang being a lame name. I agree, but the only other thing I came up with was much too silly to stick in the fic. You can all think of the night gang as the Super Crazy Awesome Rox Your Vampires Including Kaname, or SCARY VIK for short. Or something like that. Really sorry for the huge wait for chapter 3, lots of procrastination on my part. Please read and review!

It had been uneventful for them both in the span of the past two weeks. There had not been a single trace of the night gang in that time and Yuuki had almost started to believe that they did not exist at all, that maybe they had been a dream. Except, Zero had seen them too and they did not have the tendency to share dreams.

To be perfectly honest, Yuuki had never really thought of her life as boring, only fairly normal. But now there wasn't really much to it, the same procedures day after day. Between working, cooking (or rather attempting while Zero supervised), self-teaching some desirable skills, and sleeping, there was a remarkably small amount of variety.

But, as both Yuuki and Zero were beginning to find out, it's only ever a matter of time until life is, as a rule, livened back up again. It just happened to do so as Yuuki was studying math in the bedroom after work on a Friday. There was a brisk knock on the door and the sound of footsteps as Zero got up from a brief nap in the living-room to answer it. The sound of the door opening was normal enough but the slam of it being closed with force was reason enough to be puzzled.

She got up rapidly and walked into the room where Zero was found deliberately holding the door shut and cursing under his breath. Zero looked over and upon seeing Yuuki's puzzled look told her, "It's that damned vampire."

"Well then, let him in Zero!" How rude it had been of him to shut the door on any guest, especially such an important one! She promptly rushed to the door and gave Zero a little push. She knew that it was no use to actually try and push him, for he was much larger and consequently stronger than her, but he had a tendency to give way when she did that. This time was no different; Zero stood aside, albeit reluctantly, while Yuuki opened the door back up.

A stunning, brown haired, man stood before her smiling placidly. How he could have been so calm after having a door slammed shut in his face was anybody's guess.

He walked in after an invitation from Yuuki and delicately took a seat on one of the two couches residing in the living-room. From Zero's patronizing glare, she assumed it was the one that Zero had been lying on before the disruption. Both residents took a seat on the unoccupied couch waiting for the uninvited guest to begin speaking.

After an uncomfortable silence, he began to announce the reason of the visit. "It seems that an associate of mine has need of you two. He wishes to meet you both, one week from tomorrow at his office not too far from here. It seems that he's short on hands for an important job and would like to consider those who already know about vampires." He paused here, perhaps expecting an answer.

Zero seized the opportunity to speak his mind. "There is no way on Earth I could be dragged into an occupation involving vampires." As far as he was concerned that was the end of it. But when Kaname turned his face to Yuuki, she felt obliged to answer positively. After all, he had saved them recently. "Zero, we could at least talk to the man."

He gave her a rather fierce look. "You can. But I won't have anything to do with it." Yuuki sighed, exasperated by his behavior, and gave up on Zero, turning to smile at Kaname. "We will _both_ be there to talk to the man." Yuuki knew that she could convince Zero of just about anything over the course of a week. Of course, he could expect a few threats here and there.

"Good then. I will be there too, of course, so you needn't worry." Kaname got up off the couch and came over to kiss Yuuki's hand gracefully. To him, it seemed polite, but Zero took it as a threat. He immediately got up and gave a small growl to show his indignation. Kaname straightened himself and smiled, "Why Zero, what was that for?" Zero was furious. His eyes narrowed and a hint of red could be seen on his face.

"You sickening beast. I see you're sweetening up your prey. A small kiss now and you'll be drinking her blood in no time!" His voice gradually rose as Zero made the accusations. It never reached a yell, but the demonstrated level of anger was rather uncharacteristic of Zero.

The warm smile left Kaname's face for the first time since he had arrived. He closed the distance between himself and Zero with no evident expression on his face. Then he calmly extended a finger towards Zero's neck and left a trickle of red running down it without batting an eye.

Zero went completely rigid and the expression from his face seemed also to disappear. There was a moment of tension while Zero lifted his own hand and gripped Kaname's neck in a tight hold meant to choke. Kaname seemed completely unperturbed by this development as a series of gashes appeared along both of Zero's arms. Yuuki sensed that it was not her place to interfere in a fight between them unless she deemed it absolutely necessary.

The next few actions taken by them both were a blur. They moved surprisingly quick, never missing a beat. The end result when the fighting was done and a winner determined, was a slightly bruised Kaname with a cut or two and a thoroughly battered Zero with blood flowing freely from his left shoulder, both arms, and a gash below his left eye.

Zero looked as though he didn't particularly care about the physical beating he had just gone through, but rather the damage to his pride. Standing up straight, Zero scowled briefly and departed silently through the front door. Zero had not gotten but a few yards from the front door when he heard Yuuki shout after him. "Zero! Wait Zero, come back!"

He ignored the call and kept walking toward the park. How dare that vampire Kaname defeat him with so little effort! When he noticed Yuuki slip out the front door in pursuit of him, Zero quickened his pace.

His strength was being sapped by the drip of blood, slowly but surely. It also triggered something else in him, a sort of sharp ache that could not be ignored. It drove him to a pant as he reached the park he had set off for. He sat down on the nearest bench to calm himself when he heard Yuuki approaching in front of him.

"Zero! Your wounds need tended to! You're injured." She sounded worried, but he did not want her near him right now.

"Yuuki," he panted weakly, "Don't… don't get near… me." He was now pleading with her. Zero didn't know if he could maintain control in such a desperate situation. He could drain her dry if he couldn't maintain his composure.

But of course Yuuki, not knowing any better, got nearer anyway. "Zero…" She came right up to him and placed her hand oh Zero's forehead. She didn't have time to say anything else. Zero grabbed her arm and swung her to the bench, at the same time standing up to be at a greater advantage to her. He pinned her down and grabbed her tightly around the shoulders.

"Zero…?" She was so confused right now. Zero knew that she hadn't deserved what he was about to do to her, but he was already so damn in a frenzy over blood that he couldn't stop himself. He could hear the blood rushing through her veins, getting louder with every bewildered breath she took.

He took the final step, knowing that things could never go back to how they had been originally. He sunk the newly grown fangs into her smooth, unblemished neck and heard Yuuki's sharp intake of breath as the pain reached her. Although he couldn't see her face, he knew how large those pure, innocent eyes would be right now. He knew that they would be clouded over in pain or fear, quite possibly both, as all her trust for him faded away.

It was a horrible, disgusting feeling to be drinking blood, made all the more terrible by the small protests that Yuuki was offering in his arms. The thirst was now dying away, and with it Zero's judgment came flooding back and he immediately released Yuuki.

She was weak and had to lean on Zero for support. He had exhausted her and torn her world to pieces in the few minutes that he had been slaking the unforgivable hunger that gnawed at him. Yuuki's head drooped a few times as she struggled with consciousness and ultimately came to rest on Zero's shoulder.

For now, he determined to take her back to the apartment and nurse her back to health. His course of action after, however, was uncertain and there was still much questioning about his future. For at least tonight, he determined to come to terms with what he had done.

But for hurting Yuuki, he knew he could never forgive himself.


End file.
